The Second Curse
by Daughter.Shadow
Summary: After Tohru severly annoys Akito, Akito traps the Zodiac in their animal bodies. When a stranger shows up at thier door in a midnight storm, Tohru feels she has no choice but to let him in, and try to hide the Zodiac secret. Major plot twist.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story has no real 'foreplay' to it because I wasn't sure what exactly had happened to make things end up this way. All I know is that the 13 members of the Zodiac are more cursed than they used to be… and that's saying a lot, isn't it?

Anyways, I apologize in advance if the characters are somewhat out of character; I know it bothers me when they are, but I often have difficulties warping the real characters to suit my stories, so they usually do end up a little off. If it really bugs you though, let me know, and I'll try my best to fix it.

Oh, and I don't own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. If I did, why would I be writing a fan-fic about it? Geez, what a dumb accusation…grumble grumble

* * *

"Tohru, you don't have to stay. We can take care of ourselves." 

"Yeah, it's not like a bunch of animals living by themselves would be suspicious in any way," Hiro snarled from the living room.

Tohru looked down at the dog in the doorway to the kitchen and smiled, shaking her head. "It really is ok, Shigure-san. I got you guys into this mess; I should stick around and see you out of it."

"Touching, Tohru-kun!" exclaimed a slim, white snake as it twisted its way between Shigure's front paws. Ayame's voice became more serious as he reared back to look at her. "But it really is dangerous for you here. Wouldn't you be happier back in the city with your friends?"

Tohru busied herself with the carrots to hide her face. Ayame's words struck too close to home.

"And Akito, might I add?" Kyo threw in from where he sat on the counter. "Yes, I'm sure she wants to go back to where there's an insane, homicidal maniac lurking in wait to kill her for getting the thirteen of us away from him."

"You make Akito sound like a villain from a horror movie, Kyo-kun," Shigure chided.

The orange cat snorted impatiently. "And what would you call him?"

"Completely beside the point… Shouldn't you be helping to set up the rest of the house?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"We are helping young Tohru-kun with supper! Feeding one person and thirteen animals is no easy task you know!"

Kyo turned his dark orange gaze on Ayame. "Like hell you are!"

Tohru swallowed nervously and dumped the chopped up carrots in the massive stew pot.

"Now, now, Kyon-kyon, Gure-san may not be doing anything, but I am supervising! Well done, Tohru-kun! Come now, Gure-san. Lazing around and letting Tohru-kun do all the work won't do at all! Fetch some potatoes at once!"

* * *

After supper was served, everyone gathered in the small dining room. The cabin they had come to occupy was some ways off from the nearest town, which was really small enough to be called a village, and was made of solid wood some years back. It was off a main highway that passed through said town, and sat in front of a large green field. Beyond the field, there was a dark evergreen forest, setting an eerie backdrop for the otherwise homey cabin. There was even a garage attached to the main building where the larger Zodiac members (like Rin, and Hatsuharu,) planned to spend their nights. The master bedroom had been voted, by majority (consisting of everyone but Tohru,) to be Tohru's bedroom. Shigure had already placed dibs on the couch near the front door, claiming that if a burglar or such came knocking, he would be able to give them the most warning. 

"Right, like a thief is actually going to come through the front door," Kyo hissed, stalking away.

Yuki and Ayame had discovered a maze of mouse tunnels that (eventually) made their way throughout the entire building, making a convenient mode of transportation for the two that had extreme difficulty with stairs. Kisa, tiger or no, was still only the size of a cat, and would be usually at the foot of Tohru's bed. A massive aquarium had been purchased for Hatori's use, with the promise to figure out some way to enable his to travel through the cabin. By midnight, most of the arrangements had been decided on, although Momiji was noticeably unhappy with staying in the garage for even one night, while Rin, Hatsuharu, Kagura, Hiro, and even Kureno were fine with sharing it.

* * *

One day, maybe a week into the future, there was a sound heard so long ago that it was nearly forgotten, and was heard three times in the middle of a storm before anybody identified exactly what it was. 

BANG BANG BANG

Rin looked up. Everyone was gathered in the Garage playing, with great amounts of effort, Chinese checkers by candle light – the storm had cut the power. For those that don't know, (and I hope that is no-one, because Chinese checkers is an extremely fun game,) Chinese checkers involves jumping little, round, bright coloured balls over other little, round, bright coloured balls to get all of your color into the space of the person across from you. As there are only six people at a time (even so, the board can get rather busy,) only six people were playing.

Rin was playing blue, across from green, played by Kureno.

Kyo was playing yellow, across from white, played by Hiro.

Momiji was playing black, across from red, played by Hatori, who was in a small fish bowl and had Shigure and Ayame playing for him, and rather than being in first place as he should have been, he was in dead last.

From first to last, Momiji was in the lead with a bunch of doubtful moves, Kureno was in second, Hiro was in third, Rin, fourth, Kyo, fifth with a lot of swearing, and Hatori in dead last, as stated above.

Anyways, Rin looked up at the loud banging noise.

"I think that's the door," she commented.

The entire group stared at her blankly for a few seconds before Tohru registered exactly what she was saying.

"Oh, right!" she scrambled to her feet.

Shigure started to stand too; he was the obvious choice for who was to accompany her to the door, after all, who would think anything of a teenage girl answering the door with her dog at her side?

"Wait, Gure-san, it's our turn next!" Ayame protested. "Who would move the pieces?"

Shigure hesitated for a second, undecided, before Kisa rose to her paws. "I - I'll go with her."

She and Hiro had hit growth spurts during their stay, so she was getting near the biggest housecat in the world, but still small enough to pass for one to anyone not looking to hard.

Kisa at her side, Tohru listened to the storm as they approached the door, jumping at another sudden noise:

BANG BANG BANG

Then a thought occurred to Tohru. In this weather, she couldn't turn away anyone seeking shelter from the storm. That meant that whoever it was would have to stay until the storm died down. She turned to Kisa.

"Kisa-san, when I start making tea, could you please run and get everyone to clean up and tell them we have a guest please?" When the tiger nodded, Tohru took a deep nervous breath and opened the front door to the unknown stranger.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok, well, I thank those who reviewed, I'm touched you like it, and I hope to live up to your expectations, especially of N. James The Diehard Dishrag, (?) to whom I apologize to for stealing your idea, but I insist it was an accident. While I have some ideas for this fanfic, suggestions are always welcome. Oh, and I won't just forget about it, that bothers me too, and I apologize in advance if it takes awhile to update. I'm just kinda shocked people read it, so, yeah. Other chapters might be a bit short, because I wanted to summarize what happened, but it didn't work great… There is nothing before this, but I don't know what happened yet. I'll explain it when I figure that out. Thank you once again!

* * *

Tohru froze at the sight before her. The man was roughly her age, with locks of soaked black hair and dark obsidian eyes. She almost slammed the door in his face before she remembered her manners. 

"Umm, would you like to come in?"

She felt Kisa bristling at her side. Tohru's mind was whirling. _There's no way he found us already! How could he?_

She showed the man to the living room with fears edging at the back of her mind. Kisa slipped away quickly to warn the others. Tohru busied herself with the tea. The silence only further strained at Tohru's nerves, and she couldn't help, on the edge of panic, to wonder where the others were.

"I'm sorry for getting you up so late," the man's melodious voice echoed into the kitchen.

"N-no, it's not a problem!" Tohru stammered nervously. "I was already up." She turned to face their familiar guest and dropped the tea with a start.

There was a deep scar running down the strangers face from the left temple to his chin, swerving slightly to hit his left eye. Fortunately, Ritsu was there, catching the tray with unusual grace.

"Th-thank you, Ritchan-san," Tohru said absently, her gaze never really leaving the scar that had been hidden by the shadows of the storm.

The man looked away, muttering, "I can't help how I look. Would you please quit staring?"

Tohru jumped. "Oh, yes, sorry!" She collected the tray from Ritsu. "Would you like some tea, Stranger-san?"

"Yes, please, Miss…?"

"Tohru Honda."

"Thank you, Honda-san. My name is Akira."

"Akira-san? Just Akira-san?" Tohru questioned, listening to the clicking of nails as Shigure and others approached.

"Disowned," Akira said briefly, his tone telling her that he didn't want to discuss it.

A low growl from the doorway caught both of their attention. Tohru looked at Shigure in surprise.

"Shigure-san?" she asked in alarm.

The dark grey dog stalked forward, snarling at Akira. Kyo sprung up onto the counter beside Ritsu from behind Shigure, while Yuki slid off of Shigure's back and landed beside Momiji. Kisa came to stand beside Tohru again.

"Everyone, this is Akira-san," Tohru introduced them, picking up Yuki from the floor, worried she'd step on him. "Akira-san, these are Shigure-san, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Kisa-san, Ritsu-san, and Momiji-san." Tohru pointed to each one as she introduced them.

"Your house is a regular zoo, isn't it?" Akira smiled. "Anyone else live here?"

"Let's see… There's Hatsuharu-san, and Rin-san, Hiro-san and Kureno-san, Hatori-san and Ayame-san, and Kagura-san." She looked proud of herself for remembering them all.

"Are they all animals too?"

"Yes! Hatsuharu-san is an ox, Kagura-san is a boar, Rin-san is a horse, Ayame-san is a snake, Hiro-san is a ram, Kureno-san is a rooster, and Hatori-san is a dra- a seahorse." _A dragon would be a bit suspicious, after all._

Akira didn't seem to notice her slip up. "You live on a farm then?"

"Yes, I do!" Tohru found herself getting to be very good at reading Yuki and what he wanted her to say. "But enough about me, what about you?"

"You don't want to know about me."

"But I do! Where are you from?" Tohru asked, putting Yuki on the counter beside Kyo.

Akira frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Wont the cat try to eat the mouse?"

Tohru smiled cheerily. "Of course not! Yuki-kun can take care of himself, and Kyo-kun is too much of a gentleman to try!" Yuki and Kyo exchanged a glance, silently agreeing on a truce until this man was out of the house.

Akira stood up suddenly. "I'm tired. May I spend the night?"

"Of course! You can sleep, umm…on the couch!" There was a yelp of alarm as Tohru gave away Shigure's bed. "Don't worry, Shigure-san, you can stay with me and the others tonight." Yuki caught the hint and sprung off the counter and ran off to the garage.

* * *

Later that night, everyone had gathered, with some difficulty, in Tohru's room. The storm showed no signs of letting up. Shigure sat beside the closed door to give them warning if Akira tried to eavesdrop. The others lay comfortably around the room. Tohru sat between Kyo and Kisa with Momiji on her lap, already in her P.J's. (She had changed in the washroom.) 

"I don't like him," Kyo insisted. "He looks too much like Akito."

"He doesn't seem so bad," Tohru disagreed, Kisa nodding her agreement.

"I'm sorry to be the one to say this, Honda-san, but I agree with Kyo. We don't even know who he is, and he claims not to have a family name. How do we trust him?" Yuki asked quietly, earning him nods of approval from various people around the room.

"An excellent point Yuki!" Ayame exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down," Hatori chided him from his fishbowl on the desk.

"I'm sorry!" Ritsu yelped.

"I don't know if we can trust him, but I don't think he's Akito in disguise either," Kureno put in.

Rin nodded, and Hatsuharu turned to watch her. "Akito's aura was more…malevolent. Whoever Akira is, he doesn't mean us harm."

"Yet," Hiro added under his breath.

"But we can't just toss him back out into the storm just because we're cursed," Hatsuharu pointed out. "Then we would be just like Akito."

"But if we keep him here, and we're wrong, we could find ourselves back where we started," Shigure argued.

"I have never seen you so insistent on somebody leaving, Gure-san," Ayame turned to face him.

"Is something bothering you, Shigure-san?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Just animal instinct," Shigure shrugged. "But my animal instinct is telling me not to trust him."

"But Tohru and Haru are right," Momiji insisted. "We can't just throw him out."

"Especially in this weather," Kagura agreed.

"Wanna bet?" Kyo and Hiro responded in unison.

"I-I think we should let him stay," Kisa spoke quietly, and silence fell over the room so everyone could hear her. "Onee-chan is usually right, and we already agreed we can't just throw him out, so I think we should let him stay, at least until the storm stops. "

There was a murmur of discontentment, and Hatori had another suggestion. "Why don't we wait and see if the storm lets up over night? If we stay up arguing over this, we will all be tired and in foul moods tomorrow. Not only will we be irrational, but difficult to get along with too. We should try and get some sleep. "

No one could argue with the logic of the doctor, and everyone soon drifted off to sleep.

Everyone, except the dog.

Shigure lay at the foot of the bed, watching the door and listening to the familiar breathing of the man downstairs long into the night. It was nearly dawn when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and fell into a restless sleep.

Ok, how'd I do? Suggestions are welcome, because I'm not possitive what all is going to happen. Also, If you want a pairing (but nothing too serious, please, I dont think I'm quite good enough for that yet,) Mention what you'd like to see in this story! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you, thank you for your comments and suggestions! For my next act, I will write the third chapter of The Second Curse! (Applause) I don't own Fruits Basket, though, so please don't try to sue me!! (Oh, and Hatori can be heard by…umm… (Quit asking difficult questions!!) Sticking his head above the water to speak? I don't know; I wasn't there. I'll think about that.)

* * *

"Good morning, Honda-san," Tohru turned toward the doorway of the roomy kitchen. Akira leaned on the doorframe. 

"Good morning, Akira-san!" she chirped cheerfully.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Nope, breakfast is served!"

Her remark brought several Zodiac members into the room. Strangely, Shigure was not among them.

Breakfast was a subdued affair, dulled by the silence usually occupied by Shigure's constant stream of compliments aimed towards Tohru's cooking in attempts to get extra dessert, and Momiji's flow of chatter and conversation. Akira was quiet, speaking only to ask for salt, or a glass of milk and, after several unsuccessful attempts at conversation, even Tohru fell silent.

Akira stood as soon as Tohru did, and helped to clear the dishes. Kyo and Yuki followed them in, but everyone else went about their business.

_What do they do all day?_ Kyo yawned and stretched before leaping onto the counter. Yuki followed, using the chair beside the counter as a ladder and Kyo's tail as a rope. Kyo hissed in annoyance, but both settled quickly to listen to the conversation.

"So," Akira began to dry the dishes as Tohru washed. "Why do you live out here all by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself! I have lots of company!"

Akira arched an eyebrow at her, and she blushed slightly.

"Alright, let me rephrase my question. What's a pretty girl like you doing way out here, with only a bunch of animals for company?"

Tohru froze. "I, umm… like it out here!" she told him, although it was not entirely true. "I live here with some friends of mine!"

"Where are they?" Akira asked, placing a dry plate inside the cupboard.

"I, umm… "At this point, Yuki decided to rescue Tohru. Not being big enough to do a heck of a lot else, he bit Kyo's tail.

Kyo's loud caterwaul of pain tore Tohru away from dishes, but also a plate from her hands. The plate smashed against the wooden floor, and the noise brought Momiji, Kisa, Ayame, and (finally) Shigure running into the kitchen (except in Ayame's case, because he clearly cannot run. Instead, he was found coiled around Kisa's neck.).

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru picked up the orange cat. "Are you alright?"

Kyo hissed angrily, directing it at Akira instead of Yuki. _I'll get that damn rat later…after this __idiot__ leaves!_

Shigure flopped down on the kitchen floor, having already pieced together what happened. He watched through half-closed eyes as Tohru tried to figure it out.

Akira watched at first, then turned and located the broom and dustpan, and began to clean up the shards of glass.

"Oh! You don't have to do that, I'll get it…" Tohru protested.

"Its fine, Honda-san. You take care of your cat." Akira smiled charmingly.

"But…but…oh!" Tohru had spotted Kyo's tail. Blood oozed from a small cut near the end. "Kyo-kun, you're bleeding!" _Because that damn Yuki bit me! _Rather than say anything, he hissed again. Ayame slide forwards, holding a band-aid in his mouth.

Shigure and Ayame exchanged a glance. _Why do you have a band-aid? _Shigure seemed to be asking.

_It pays to be prepared, Gure-san!_ Ayame silently responded before pushing forwards to give the paper wrapped item to Tohru.

"Ah! Thank you, Ayame-san!" Kyo tried to pull away, not wanting a band-aid on his tail. (Someone would have to pull it off sooner or later, and Kyo just happens to have fur on his tail…) "Hold still, Kyo-kun!" Tohru chided, attempting to keep her hold on the cat. Kyo continued to struggle, however, and quickly broke free. He scrambled to the top of the refrigerator, where Tohru couldn't reach him, and sat, hissing insults down at Yuki and Akira.

Shigure sat up with a sigh and left the room, back to the couch.

When the room cleared again, except for Yuki hiding behind the fruit bowl and Kyo on top of the refrigerator, clawing at Akira when he reached up for him, Tohru and Akira resumed dishes.

"So, Akira-san, why were you out here in the middle of a storm?"

"Honestly, I live nearby. I seen smoke coming from this general direction, so I thought, seeing as this is one of my families lesser used buildings, either someone had come out here that would talk to me, or, maybe, bandits or something had taken this place as a hideout, and, if I could turn them in to the head of my family, I would be forgiven. I suppose, though, your friends probably have permission to be here, and there would be little point turning you in. The head of my family would just get madder if I caused problems." Akira smiled wistfully.

"So you come from a big family, Akira-san?" Tohru asked eager to get to know their handsome guest.

"It's one of the biggest in Japan, "he answered quietly.

Silence fell once more, only broken by clinking of dishes and rolling of thunder.

* * *

Akira was working on a crossword puzzle, Tohru planning supper. Suddenly, the lights flickered, and then went out. There was a squeak of terror in the next room, and Tohru recognized it. 

"Momiji-san? Is everyone ok?" Tohru called, swallowing her own fears.

Upstairs, Yuki sat frozen with terror. This solid darkness was too much like what Akito used to lock him in. It was dark, silent, cold, and lonely, except when Haru and Rin had come to visit. But they had enough troubles with the stairs when they could see them. In this darkness, the ox and horse would be helpless too. He was trapped.

In the garage, Hatsuharu was thinking about the rat upstairs. Rin seemed to read his mind.

"I doubt we could manage the stairs."

"What are you two bellyaching about?" Hiro asked darkly.

"Shut up. I'm trying to sleep." Kyo agreed from where he lay on Hiro's woolly back.

Hatsuharu considered the orange feline. "Kyo, could you do me a favour?"

"Depends, what is it?" Kyo opened an orange eye suspiciously.

"Run upstairs and check on Yuki for me."

"Do it yourself." Kyo's single glowing eye vanished again as he closed it.

"I can't manage the stairs." Hatsuharu struggled to keep his temper even.

"Then I suppose the great Yuki will have to manage by himself."

"Well, I suppose he will, if you're too scared." Hiro commented dryly.

Kyo sat upright. "Who said I was scared?"

Rin joined in. "Well, clearly you're too afraid to leave the garage and brave the darkness to do one, easy favour."

Kyo sprung indignantly off Hiro's back, his tail twitching painfully. "Fine, I'll go find the damn rat."

Kureno ruffled his feathers. "Good, peace and quiet."

* * *

The darkness seemed to be swallowing him, growing as Yuki's fear did. He tried to get away, but it followed him. Finally, he sat down in the corner, exhausted. He covered his furry head with his paws, trying to block out the despair creeping up on him. 

Then, something lay across his shoulder, and for a second, he thought it was Haru. But reality pushed that thought aside.

"Yuki?" Yuki looked up at the orange eyes looking at him. There was dark anger there, yes, but behind it hid concern.

"What are you doing here?" Yuki demanded, embarrassment making his tone sharper than he meant.

The concern he saw in Kyo's eyes vanished instantly, and Kyo's tail left Yuki's shoulders. "Haru sent me." He responded with equal sharpness. "He seemed to think you needed help."

Yuki softened slightly. "I'm…I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Kyo looked surprised for a second. "That's, well, ok, I guess. I have things I don't like people to know too, after all." Both boys sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.

"Let's go downstairs," Kyo suggested. "So Haru doesn't accuse me of eating you."

"Fine, but you'll have to guide me; I can't see anything in this pathetic lighting." Even in the bad lighting, Kyo seen Yuki blush slightly at admitting his weakness.

"I'll do better than that," Kyo growled, and stooped to pick up Yuki in his mouth.

"H-hey! Put me down, Kyo! Stupid cat, put me down!"

* * *

Ok, that's my show for today, folks! As always, suggestions are welcome, suggestion box is in my closet somewhere… and I would love to hear what you think should happen next! Or even just what you think of my story. Also, if anyone knows how Hatori can be heard if he's underwater, please let me know! Thank you and have a great day! 


	4. Chapter 4

Oh-key-doe-key people, sorry for the delay. Went camping. Then I forgot (Hehe..). And now I have finally recovered from writers block. Thank you to mousecat, for they have answered Gosurori Otaku's question about how people can hear Hatori: His Stethoscope, or a glass, against the fishbowl. I also got a suggestion from APiratesGaurdianAngel a bit later mentioning that if, while underwater, you speak slow and loud enough, it can be understood. Use your imaginations if this doesn't quite work for you. Anywho, I don't really mind the questions that much, so don't be afraid to ask. Now then, on to my story!

Akira watched from off to the side as the animals traveled up the stairs for bed. He was sure that, last night, he had heard voices coming from upstairs. They had fallen quiet quickly, and he had tried to mind his manners and keep his nose out of it, but there was definitely something weird about this household. It was only a matter of time before he found out what; snooping into matters that were none of his business was what had caused his twin to disown him, after all.

But getting close enough to eavesdrop proved rather difficult. Every time he came within earshot, all voices fell silent. However, when he moved back downstairs, Akira could once again hear the quiet murmur of voices. Annoyed by this turn of events, he decided that eavesdropping was not the only way to discover things. Without further ado, the stranger began to rifle through the household possessions. He did not notice that one such animal had not yet got up to bed.

Upstairs, the group was deep in a very heated discussion. Shigure was dozing by the door, Kyo and Kureno arguing advantages and disadvantages of keeping Akira in their house, Kisa pleading quietly with Kagura, and Black Haru and Hiro where debating a point so far down the road from the original topic that no one really knew what they were talking about anymore. Rin, however, was supervising anyways, to make sure it didn't get out of hand, mostly because it meant she didn't have to tell Hatsuharu that she agreed with Hiro.

Not that many people would have been surprised; the number of Zodiac members who trusted Akira had dwindled from the night before. Kagura and Kureno had both began to lean more towards getting rid of him, while Ritsu was leaning away. Ritsu was carefully keeping his reasons to himself, suggesting they may insult somebody.

Shigure woke with a start as Yuki climbed out from the mouse hole. Ayame stirred and looked up too. He looked like he had something very important to say, but was unwilling to raise his voice loud enough to be heard over the bickering.

Ayame decided to solve the problem for his brother. "Zodiac, Yuki has a very important announcement to make!"

A couple people glanced at Yuki and went back to what they were doing. Most didn't look up at all.

Ayame stewed over this for a second, then, "Yuki would like to announce that he is really a woman!" (See the second book, when Shigure does pretty well the same thing.)

Yuki turned to face him, murder on his face, and at the same time, everyone else turned to look at Yuki, accompanied by Tohru's "Eh!?"

"The floor is yours, Yuki!" Ayame slid off to hide behind Hatori's fish bowl.

"Thanks, Nii-san," Yuki muttered mutinously. "That guy, Akira, he's snooping through the stuff downstairs. "

"What!" Kyo leapt to his feet. The small rodent waved him down while he continued.

"I think he's getting suspicious, after his attempts at eavesdropping…"

"We aren't exactly quiet, are we?" Hatori commented dryly.

"I think we're giving him too much credit," Hatsuharu spoke up. "The storm can't last forever, he'll leave eventually."

Yuki twitched his whiskers and Kyo lashed his tail angrily. The tension in the room began to rise again, and Momiji hid under the blanket as Hiro snapped at the ox.

"Yes, but I wonder how much he _**won't **_know before this storm lets up."

"It is already an abnormally long storm," Kureno pointed out mildly.

"Then it shouldn't last much longer," Hatsuharu responded calmly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Hatori splashed loudly, and everyone turned to face him.

"I think it is time for bed."

"Oh, but Tori-san!"

"No. We are all over tired and we will be useless if we're too tired to think straight. We spend enough time fighting among ourselves when we're not over tired to start with. Bedtime."

There was no arguing, but once again, Shigure found himself lying awake. He couldn't help but think how Hatsuharu's words about how they were giving him too much credit, and how he'd have to leave eventually were so similar to his thoughts when Tohru had first came to stay with them, her tent destroyed in a landslide…

* * *

Ok, I want to make it up to you, my… -Can I call you fans?- for taking so long to update. I'll try and get another chapter up really soon, and in the mean time, no hard feelings? Suggestions are welcome. This is Me, running away screaming from angry fans! (instead of signing out, I'll leave my non-existed secretary a note so I can attempt to outrun you guys!) 


	5. Chapter 5

'k. I got nothing to say except that I still do not own Fruits Basket. Enjoy!

Kyo licked idly at his paw. He was perched precariously upon the back of the couch, above where Shigure was curled up, asleep. Momiji bounced up beside him; and, after twitching his ears and listening carefully for Akira nearby, he turned to Kyo.

"Shii-chan sure is cute when he's asleep!"

Kyo glanced down, and then went back to his grooming. "All he does lately is sleep. It should be the _dog_ that protects the house, but nope. He spends all his time sleeping, leaving the job to the rest of us."

Momiji tilted his head slightly and gazed up at the arrogant orange feline. "He probably has a lot on his mind. Shii-chan doesn't sleep much at night."

"Why is that, Momiji?" Momiji and Kyo turned to watch a small, grey rodent scramble up to join them.

Momiji sat up on his hind paws for a second; then settled back down after assuring the coast remained clear. "Sometimes I wake up at night and see him lying beside the door. He doesn't move; he just stares at the door with his ears pricked, listening for danger." Yuki and Kyo listened in silence, Yuki thinking, in the passing, how strange it was that Momiji could be a bundle of energy on minute, serious, thoughtful and observant the next.

"When I asked him what was the matter, he smiled really sadly and told me to go back to sleep, and not to worry myself. But Shii-chan isn't looking good lately." He blinked across at Yuki, who nodded slowly.

"Maybe the stress is finally getting to him. I think I'll ask Nii-san to keep an eye on him."

Kyo stretched and stood. "You do that. I'm going to switch off with Hiro."

Many members of the Zodiac were disturbed by the idea off Akira snooping through their possessions, and had begun to take shifts spying on him. It would at least give them some warning if he started to get too close to the truth. Additionally, Kureno had insisted (On Hatori's behalf, Kagura was sure,) that this was to be done in pairs, so no one would get hurt. The zodiac had all agreed, whether they were helping or not, not to tell Tohru, who would openly oppose the idea.

"Good idea!" Momiji looked sideways at Yuki. "Yuki should go with you!"

Kyo looked like he was about to say something, than remembered their truce. He rolled his eyes instead. Yuki must have noticed though, because he shook his head. "Not now Momiji, but I'll send someone else over to relieve Haru. I should try and find Honda-san, too."

Momiji looked briefly disappointed; then brightened. "You can go find Aya; I'll find Tohru!"

Yuki smiled through his annoyance. "Thank you, Momiji."

Without another word, Momiji bounded off into the house. Kyo and Yuki stood in awkward silence for a second before Kyo muttered, "See you later, then."

Yuki nodded, and the two parted ways.

Hiro rolled his eyes. He and Hatsuharu had followed Akira into the living room, where Tohru was dusting. Akira had moved up behind her, ignoring the ox, which lay down on the floor by the couch and the ram, which leapt on top of the wooden furniture. He whispered something in her ear, and she blushed and giggled a little, trying to continue her cleaning. He tried to ignore the fact that Akira was getting too close to Tohru for comfort – and the dark anger emitting from Hatsuharu.

Kyo trotted into the room at that point. Hiro stood, stretched briefly, and left at an irritated speed walk. Kyo stiffened as he spotted Akira. With an angry hiss, he sprung onto the offending shoulder, digging in his claws to keep his balance. Akira gave a short yelp, and Tohru turned suddenly, slipping. The three tumbled unceremoniously to the floor.

Hatsuharu got up and trotted over, nudging Tohru to her feet. Akira pulled himself to his feet, touching a bleeding shoulder gently.

"Oh! Akira-san, you're bleeding!" Tohru let go of the ox beside her and moved to help him, only narrowly missing slipping in the small smudge of blood on the floor.

"Don't worry, Honda-san, I'm fine." He assured her with a warm smile. Kyo hissed at him, neck fur beginning to stand and claws scraping at the wooden floor. Akira raised his hands defensively.

"I don't think your cat likes me very much," he commented dryly.

Tohru smiled slightly through her worried expression. "Kyo-kun doesn't like anyone very much. But," she frowned slightly, "he usually just treats Yuki-kun this way…"

"Yuki? The mouse?"

"He's a rat, actually." Tohru beamed up at Akira's scarred face. "He and Kyo-kun don't get along very well, but they've been getting much better!"

Hatsuharu smirked down at Kyo.

"Watch it, brat," Kyo muttered under his breath so just Hatsuharu could hear. The Ox's eyes darkened; and Kyo realized, too late, what a mistake that was. Hatsuharu had been constantly on edge from the stress and sleep deprivation, not only since Akira had first shown up, but before; around the time they had moved into this cabin, if not before. Because of that, Black Haru was always just beneath the surface, and everyone was careful to not bring him out.

_Until now, _Kyo managed to think bitterly before leaping out of the way of a hoofed kick.

Rin listened to the irritating clicking her hoofs made of the wooden floor. She hated that noise. Others said they liked it, that it was _neat _or _cool _or _comforting_. But it always made her feel like one of those women in heels. Not only was it pointless, but everyone always knew when she was coming. It drove her nuts, although she didn't admit it to many people.

Yuki had come to see her in the basement and asked her if she would switch off with Hatsuharu. She almost said no – she had been looking forward to spending some time with the ox by herself. Yet here she was, hunting down her boyfriend so that he could spend time doing nothing in the barn while she followed Akira around.

However, she had a feeling this shift wouldn't be the same as the rest, if the shouting coming from the room down the hall was anything to go by. As she turned into the room, she understood.

Tohru was panicking at the back of the room, trying to figure out what to do. Akira gaped at the scene before him. Kyo was dodging around Hatsuharu, spitting insults, while the ox spun in turn, aiming kicks and head butts, all the while teasing and goading the cat.

Rin darted into the room, knocking Hatsuharu as hard as she could. He stumbled and fell against the couch. Shigure and Momiji ran in, attracted by the noise.

"Stop!" Tohru had finally got to her feet. Kyo sprung away from Hatsuharu and into her arms, where he scrambled onto her shoulder and continued to hiss at to ox. A glass of water, (courtesy of Ritsu,) brought Hatsuharu around to White Haru again. Silence fell over the room, broken occasionally and briefly by water dripping from Hatsuharu's chin.

"They spoke." Akira pointed at the cat on Tohru's shoulder.

Tohru's eyes widened. "No they didn't. You must have imagined it…"

Akira cut her off. "No, Honda-san. The cat and the cow spoke."

"Ox," Hatsuharu corrected drily before anyone could stop him. Akira blinked. _I knew something was wrong with this place…_

Shigure yawned and lay down. "Tohru-kun, you can tell him. It doesn't matter anymore."

"We'll just have to keep him here until Hatori can modify his memory." Kureno spoke from the doorway.

There was a pause, then Kyo asked, "Tohru?"

Tohru swallowed nervously. "I can't tell him."

"Why not?" Hiro demanded.

"Hiro! Why not, Honda-san?" Yuki and Hiro came in.

"B-because I swore I would take your secret to my grave."

"…" The zodiac stared at her for a second, then Yuki sighed.

"I'll tell the story then, but upstairs in the bedroom. I think Hatori will want to know what happened."

* * *

Ok, yes, it took me a while to get here, but Writers block was painful, and so on. Thank you to my loyal readers, who bear with me while I take forever to update. I'm doing better than one of the stories I'm reading though… Anywho, I DO finally know what happened, so that is the next chapter. Oh, and Hatori is a magical seahorse, that's how he can be heard. Thanks again! 


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for your comments. You all know that I do not own Fruits Basket though, so I don't have to mention that, do I? Except Akira; he's mine. Actually, technically, I don't own anything, but that is completely beside the point. The Akira mentioned in the newest manga is different! This Akira was invented before the freaky new one, so please don't get them mixed up.

Most of this chapter is a **flashback.** I trust you all know what that means. Enjoy!

It took a little time for everyone to settle into the bedroom. People had to be located in the cabin and told of the news. Hatori was annoyed by the news, but not surprised. Finally organized, Akira sat with Tohru on the bed, Momiji in her lap. Kyo was sitting beside her, and Kisa between Tohru and Akira. Yuki sat in front of the stranger. Shigure lay in his accustomed position at the door, Hatsuharu, Rin, and Hiro on the floor by the window. Ritsu perched on the chair beside the closet, with Kagura at its foot. Kureno perched on the curtain rod, despite Tohru's worry that if he fell asleep he would fall off, which he was yet to do. Ayame was curled around Hatori's fishbowl on the desk. When all was silent, Yuki began the story. It took him a couple tries before he finally started with the Legend of the Zodiac, making sure Akira understood about the vengeful spirits before he began why they were in their animal bodies permanently. This too took a couple tries to start.

_**Begin Flashback**_

Tohru was dragged out of her classroom by Momiji. Yuki was already waiting in the hall, as Momiji had called him down from his Presidential duties.

"Momiji, what is this?" Yuki asked tiredly. His sleep had been little and far between; between homework and organizing some festival the staff had insisted on having.

"It's terrible! It's terrible!" Momiji bounced worriedly.

_This sounds familiar,_ Yuki thought drily. "What's terrible?"

"Haru had turned black and was tearing the classroom apart, and then Kyo showed up, and he tried to stop him, but he got really mad at Haru, so they started to fight, and they were both tearing the classroom apart, so a couple guys decided to try and break it up, but Kyo and Haru turned on them and knocked them out, so a couple of girls tried to help, and well…"Momiji took his first breath.

"Well what, Momiji-kun?" Tohru asked, alarmed. The rabbit didn't answer, just pointed down the hallway around the corner they had just turned. They heard some screaming, some running feet, and finally, amidst the panic, an ox and a cat.

Yuki leapt into action immediately. "Honda-san, grab that stupid cat. Momiji, grab their clothes and keep an eye on Haru."

"R-right," Tohru agreed quickly. "Err, Yuki-kun, what are you going to do?"

"I'll call the main house and keep anyone from leaving the building until this can be cleared up."

"Until what can be cleared up…What's with the cow?" Tohru turned quickly to see Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima standing behind them.

Momiji glanced at them. Tohru smiled, "Yuki-kun, why don't you get Hana-chan and Uo-chan to help you? Locking down the entire school is a big job."

Yuki looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "If they wouldn't mind…"

Arisa rolled her eyes. "I doubt we'll mind unless we don't get an answer as to 'what the hell is going on!'"

"We'll explain later, Uo-chan. Could you please help Yuki-kun make sure no one leaves the school?"

Arisa sighed, "Fine." She couldn't say no to Tohru.

It took less than twenty minutes for a car from the main house to arrive. In that time, Hatsuharu and Kyo turned back to their human forms, Momiji chased three girls who had managed to escape the building and brought them back, and Yuki, Arisa, and Saki had managed to herd the student body (and teachers) into the gym.

"Oh, a limousine! Tohru exclaimed, staring out the window. Behind her, Kyo and Hatsuharu were leaning against the wall. Downstairs, the sounds of people panicking could still be heard. Hatsuharu and Kyo appeared silently on either side of her and looked out the window with guilty boredom.

"Akito came down himself, did he?" Hatsuharu commented dryly. "We are _so_ screwed." Kyo didn't respond, just hissed in annoyed agreement. The ox sighed. "I suppose we'd better get down to the gym, huh?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets and started to walk very slowly down the hallway.

"Tohru, stay here," Kyo half ordered, half pleaded.

Tohru shook her head violently, making herself slightly dizzy. "I couldn't! I should be down at the gym with you guys!"

"No, Honda-san," Hatsuharu called back, turning slightly, his eyes slightly darker than usual. "Kyo's right, for once."

"For once?!" Kyo demanded, but Hatsuharu continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"Akito won't be happy with us. It would be better if you weren't there." _Akito will try and find some way __to blame this on her if she is,_he added silently.

Tohru nodded sadly, settling back a pace or two, "Ok…"

Hatsuharu smiled at her, "Thank you."

She watched their retreating backs for a second, then turned and began to run down another hallway. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could watch from the security room.

Akito lead the parade of people in, and Kyo thought he had never looked so healthy, and, to his disgust, majestic. Directly behind him walked Kureno, face expressionless, only his eyes giving way to slight concern. Next came Shigure and Hatori, carefully neutral expressions on their faces. Behind them walked Ayame, looking very subdued, and Ritsu, eyes wide with fear. Rin and Kagura followed, Rin looking angry and worried, and Kagura looking confused, as if she hadn't had the situation explained properly. Finally came the last two members of the Zodiac, still in their school uniforms; Hiro's eyes darting back and forth as though contemplating whether he could leave and not be discovered, and Kisa quivering in terror for her family.

Arisa and Saki had moved back into the crowd after Yuki had practically begged them. Kyo and Hatsuharu entered almost unnoticed – until someone seen them and screamed, - and were now leaning against the back wall. Momiji watched the group approach, hands behind his back and head tilted to one side. Kyo could see it on the rabbit's expression: Momiji was scared.

Akito entered the gym, and everything fell silent. Everyone wanted to know why they were here and why two of their fellow students had suddenly turned into animals. Yuki suppressed a shiver as Akito's cold gaze travelled over him. It was bad enough Akito even had to find out about this, but that he was well enough to actually deal with it himself…

"We are _so _screwed," Hatsuharu muttered again.


	7. Chapter 7

Continuing flashback…

Akito stared menacingly around the room, "Well?"

Yuki shifted his feet uncomfortably. This clearly wasn't one of Akito's good days.

"It was an accident," Kyo hissed boldly, anger and fear making him overly careless.

"Don't talk like that…" Hatsuharu warned, but it was too late.

Akito stormed across the room and shoved his face up to Kyo's. "An accident was it?" he growled, "and I suppose you'll next be telling me we should just tell everyone about our curse!"

"Our curse?" Kyo demanded angrily, but before he could say any more, Akito hit him. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Hatsuharu grabbed his arm.

"Don't make him any angrier than you can help," he whispered quietly. "If we're careful, we might live through this."

"It was my fault," Yuki said suddenly, thinking quickly. He almost said more, but the icy look Akito sent him made him fall silent.

"Was it now," Akito sneered. "That makes much more sense. This would be, what, your third time being involved in the revealing of our secret?"

Near the back of the room, a few details were making more sense to Manabe too. Maybe that was what Yuki had meant when he was talking about losing his friends…

"Akito…" Shigure started, but the enraged head of the family ignored him.

"No, Yuki, don't give me that crap." Akito's voice was suddenly very quiet. "That Tohru Honda is behind this, isn't she? Where is she, I wonder? Not willing to own up?"

"Honda-san didn't come to school today," Yuki responded sharply and instantly. "She had nothing to do with this."

Arisa and Saki moved backwards slightly, slight realization sinking in.

"_Really?_" sarcasm dripped from Akito's voice. "Yes, I suppose a girl with perfect attendance must get the urge to skip once in a while, hmm?"

Yuki opened his mouth to respond, but he suddenly found he could no longer breath – Akito's hand had fastened itself to his throat and lifted him ever so slightly off the ground. The best he could manage was a slightly strangled whimper, which very effectively caught the attention of anyone who hadn't been paying attention before.

"Now, Yuki," Akito breathed in his ear. "Where is Tohru Honda?"

Yes, I know it's short, but I thought you guys might be tired of waiting, so I posted it anyways. I'll post again, I promise!


	8. Chapter 8

Flashback – what else? Sorry, I meant for the flashback to only take up two chapters, but, well, yeah. Don't own Fruits Basket or I'd have to be more punctual and dedicated.

"Akito!" Shigure darted forward with Ayame, as Ayame yelped,

"Yuki!" Akito let go as they reached him, and Yuki fell in a heap on the floor. Just as Tohru broke in.

Akito's eyes landed on her, like a hungry predator that hasn't eaten for a while. (A/N: Very long story involving my sister (Daughter.Light) reading a list of things people actually put in their essays, i.e., 'he was as tall as a 6 foot 3 inch tree'.)[Actual quote was 'He had a hungry look…the kind you get from not eating for a while.'

"Not here today, hmm?"

Tohru paled slightly. Momiji moved slightly, putting himself between Akito and Tohru.

Tohru was watching Akito snarl at the rabbit so closely that when something touched her arm, she jumped, and turned to see Kyo and Hatsuharu, who had moved around the room to get to her.

"What are you doing here?!" Kyo demanded, grabbing her wrist. Hatsuharu watched her through narrowed eyes, nodding slightly.

"You shouldn't have come."

"B-but," Tohru stammered, blushing slightly. "Akito was threatening you guys, over me…"

"Our problem," Kyo hissed in her face.

"Kyo," Hatsuharu moved into a defensive position as Akito knocked Momiji out of the way, running full-tilt at Tohru.

Kyo turned to look at their 'god', an idea playing through his mind. He shifted his gaze to Yuki, helping Momiji to his feet.

"Hey, rat." Yuki looked at him.

"Yes, dumb cat?"

Kyo touched his own wrist. "Would you say that all our cards are in the open now?"

Yuki tilt his head slightly. "I suppose…"

"Good," and with one swift movement, Kyo pushed his beads from his wrist.

The result was instantaneous. People plugged their noses against the stench, and a few screamed, although the smarter ones were beginning to wonder if the Sohma family was all fiction and no fact. Akito slid to a stop; Kyo's twisted, demonic form sprung at the head of the family.

"Kyo-kun!" Hatsuharu grabbed Tohru by the arm to keep her from following him. The rest of the family stared at the scene, torn between their hatred for Akito and their loyalty to him. Hiro acted first.

"This way!" He pulled Kisa towards the doors to the gym. Momiji sprung after him, and, suddenly, much like migrating geese or a herd of cows, the rest of the family swung around to follow.

The ox took up the rear, pulling Tohru with him. "Oi, kitty, you coming?"He called over his shoulder.

Kyo snarled into Akito's startled face and sprung away, pausing only to pick up his bracelet between sharp teeth. He was fully human by the time he caught up with the Zodiac in the school field.

"Now what?" Yuki panted. Hatori, whom nobody had actually _seen_ run, walked over, breathing normally, and checked Yuki's breathing with his ever-present stethoscope.

"We won't let him have her." Kyo snarled, still smelling faintly of rotting flesh. Shigure leaned away.

"Of course not, Kyo-kun."

"Th-that's not necessary…" Tohru began, but Hiro cut her off.

"You don't get an opinion."

Hatsuharu smirked, "the rescue-ee's opinion is void, hmm?"

Tohru blinked a couple times, and Hiro continued. "You'll just keep insisting that we turn you in, and that we can just go back to our regular lives."

"Which," Kyo pointed out, "might I add, we no longer have because an entire high school knows about our secret."

"Which," Yuki added, "reminds me; good thinking, cat.

Shigure arched an eyebrow, "First time for everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyo yelled, turning on the dog.

Hatsuharu also turned to Shigure. "Good question: was that about Yuki complimenting Kyo, or about Kyo having a good idea?"

"Both!" Momiji chirped.

"We can't just sit here," Hatori intervened, bringing the group down to earth. "Akito will send his army after us, and if we plan to remain refugees, we will have to put some distance between us."

"W-wait," Ritsu barely whispered, and Kagura, the only person close enough to hear him, looked at him. "Can I… go get something first?" This time, he was a little louder, and Kureno answered in a rather deadpan voice.

"Depends, can you live without it?"

Ritsu fidgeted a little. "It's a book."

"Did Shigure write it?" Yuki asked dryly.

Ritsu shook his head, uncomfortable being at the centre of attention. "I don't think so. I… think… it was written by one of the previous cats of the Zodiac."

Kyo frowned, as though trying to remember something. "So?"

"It talks about breaking the curse." Ritsu whispered.

A stunned silence fell. Tohru broke it.

"We should go get it!"

"Voided," Hiro responded immediately, and Tohru blushed and fell silent.

"I agree," Rin stated calmly. Hatsuharu glanced at her in shock. The horse didn't agree with many people, and particularly disliked Tohru. "I want to break the curse. If this book will tell us how, I'm all for it."

"I'll get it!" Momiji volunteered at the same time as Hiro muttered, "Fine, I'll go."

The two cousins looked at each other for a long moment before Kagura said "well, two heads _are_ better than one…"

"Yay!" Momiji bounced up and down cheerfully.

"He doesn't _have_ a head!" Hiro shot back.

"Then grow another one," Kyo snarled.

"Deal with it," Kureno agreed. "We'll meet you…"

"At Aaya's shop," Shigure suggested.

"Fine," Hiro snarled in annoyed agreement.

"Yay! C'mon, I know a good way in that no one knows about!" Hiro took off after the energetic rabbit.

* * *

"This…is you're secret way in?" Hiro asked in disbelief, staring up at a broken window into an attic of the Sohma estate.

Momiji grinned happily. "You climb the ivy! It's easy!"

_This coming from the person who wears the girls uniform because it looks better on him, and has enough energy to outlast the energizer bunny, and…_ Hiro continued his inward grumbling as he grunted in acknowledgement _and_ began to climb the vines. Fortunately, neither boy were very heavy, and the ivy held its position, although there were a few times Hiro was sure the careless boy above him was going to lose his grip and fall, taking himself down with him.The broken window was tricky, and Hiro cut his arm on a protruding piece of glass as he climbed in.

"Right, now, Rit-chan's room…" Momiji thought out loud.

Hiro sighed, "This way."

They made it to Ritsu's room uneventfully.

"What do you think it looks like?" Momiji mused as he dug through the bedside table drawers.

"It's purple and covered with orange paw prints and blue rabbit ears and green bird's feet." Hiro responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes and resuming his ploughing through his elder cousin's extremely unorganized closet.

"Oh, here it is!"

"_What!?"_Hiro spun around to see a black, leather bound book sporting a hideous purple cloth book cover, with green bird tracks, blue rabbit ears, and orange paw prints. "That's just disturbing…"

"Hiro, Momiji! What are you two doing in Ritsu's room?" a maid stood in the doorway.

"Rit-chan asked us to get this book for him." Momiji announced, lying easily and smoothly on the spot.

The maid shook her head. "Akito-sama told us that if we seen any of you, we were to take you straight to him."

Hiro froze. He had only one idea, nagging at the back of his mind like an old memory. He turned and ran at the window, grabbing Momiji as he ran by. The ram broke the window with his elbow, starting his arm bleeding again, and, ignoring the maid running at them, and the rabbit petrified with fear, and the fact that they were on the fourth floor, Hiro jumped out the window, pulling Momiji with him.

Then, they were free-falling, with the maid screaming that they had committed suicide echoing above them. Momiji twisted in the air and, with extreme accuracy, landed the fall as if he had merely jumped a foot or so.

Hiro was also fortunate: he had used Momiji as a shock absorber, and was left with a slightly twisted ankle. Ignoring the pain - he was getting good at ignoring things – the ram climbed to his feet, and the two raced towards the main gates. They paused only a second before Hiro started to climb the ivy, wincing occasionally, and Momiji bounced, landing on the roof of the gates.

"How'd you do that?" Hiro gasped as he lowered himself down from the gatehouse roof.

Momiji looked puzzled. "I don't know."

Hiro sighed. "Who cares, it saved our lives. Let's go…do you know where Ayame's shop is?"

Momiji blinked, giving him a deer-in-headlights look. "I thought you did."

"Do you know what it's called?" Hiro asked desperately.

"No."

"Crap…"

* * *

Ok, this chapter's done cuz' I'm tired of typing. Kunai Queen The Strange has entered an entry on how Hatori can be heard – when he's a seahorse, he's telepathic. Works, I suppose. Thanks for everyone's support and comments; they help to remind me to write another chapter. I hope to not have another really late one, so if I don't update for a while, NAG ME PLEASE!!!! Suggestions are greatly appreciated, and I hope to hear from you all again! 


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Fruits Basket, this is still a flashback, and, as far as anyone knows, the student body was, and still is, in the gymnasium. Any questions? Review them to me, and I'll try to answer them. Its more interesting then chemistry; and I don't bite.

Tohru stepped onto the roof of Ayame's shop. Kyo turned his head slightly to see who it was, then grunted an acknowledgement and resumed staring at the sky, fingers laced behind his head.

"Are you ok, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, kneeling down beside him.

"Suppose."

"What's wrong?"

Kyo's orange eyes turned on her. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Tohru frowned. "What do you mean?"

"…Showing the cat's other form like that."

"Of course! I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't!"

The cat grunted again and turned back to the sky.

"But that isn't everything," Tohru guessed.

Kyo avoided her gaze. "Do you think…"

Tohru was silent, trying to read his expression as she waited for him to continue.

"…Do you think Hiro and Momiji know their way back here?"

"You know, now that you mention it, I kind of doubt either of them have ever been here," a quiet voice sounded behind them. The pair turned to see Yuki stepping carefully onto the roof of the building.

"Ah! Yuki-kun!"

"Didn't think so," Kyo muttered. "Damn those two, running off without a thought as to how they're going to get back…"

Yuki sighed. "I guess we better go find them."

"But for all we know, they haven't even left the main building yet," Tohru protested.

Yuki paused a moment. "You might be right, Honda-san, but I think they've left it already."

"How the heck would you know that?" Kyo demanded.

"Just a feeling, but somehow I'm sure they're at the ice cream parlour near the mall."

"… Well, I'll go just to prove you wrong."

Tohru paled slightly. "I'll…"

"Not go?" Hatsuharu suggested from where he stood beside the ladder to get to the top part of the roof where the others were located. Kisa sat on his shoulders. "Good idea, Honda-san. Kisa and I will go in your place."

"B-but I wanted to go…" Tohru stammered.

"Voided," Hatsuharu smirked, "remember?"

Yuki glanced at the youngest member of the Zodiac. Kisa met his gaze with determination in her eyes.

"I want to help Hiro-chan."

Yuki opened his mouth to protest, but Kyo interrupted him. "Let the squirt come if she wants to, rat."

"Fine," Yuki gave in with a sigh. Kyo stood and followed Kisa and Hatsuharu off the roof.

"Yuki-kun…" Tohru started. Yuki looked at her, so she continued. "Before you came, Kyo-kun… never mind, I probably shouldn't be telling you this…"

Yuki shook his head. "Don't worry, Honda-san. I heard everything, and so did Haru and Kisa, and I think I know what that was about."

"You do?"

"That idiot cat…"Yuki shook his head again, a slight smile on his face. "He thinks that now we'll disown him or something."

Tohru's eyes widened. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

The rat looked at her with slight exasperation in his eyes. "Honda-san, if I was going to disown him, I would have done it long ago."

* * *

"Mmm…I want cotton candy!" Momiji declared.

Hiro glared at him "We're trying to find Ayame's shop, and you want to buy ice cream?"

Momiji pouted a little. "Aww, but Hiro… I know! We can ask for directions while we're in there!" He grabbed Hiro by the wrist and dragged him into the little ice cream parlour.

"But we don't even know what it's called!" Hiro protested. "How are we supposed to ask for directions to a place we've never been to and don't know what it sells or what it's called?"

"If you don't pick an ice cream flavour, I'll pick for you!" Momiji told him, ignoring the ram's protests.

Hiro shuttered at the thought of the really sweet flavour his cousin was sure to pick for him, so after ordering his own Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, he gave in and sat down to eat it. He did have to admit

that it was good to get off of his sore ankle, and the ice cream _did_ taste good.

"Did you ask for directions?" Hiro asked Momiji, slightly less sour than before.

Momiji gave him a weird look. "Of course not. You can't ask for directions to a place you know nothing about."

"I already said that!"

"You two are going to draw attention to yourselves," a familiar voice growled.

"Kyo?" Momiji asked in shock as he turned to face the extremely irritated cat. "How did you guys find us?"

Kyo nodded at the silver-haired boy beside him, "ask the rat."

Yuki shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I told you, I don't know how I knew. It was more like a guess."

Hatsuharu appeared between them, offering a cookies and cream ice cream to Yuki. He himself had mint chocolate chip, and Kisa, who was standing a little behind him, had that weird 'Rainbow' flavour every single ice cream store has.

"Don't I get one?" Kyo muttered, shoving past the ox to buy his own.

"You didn't ask," Hatsuharu replied mildly.

* * *

_**Back to the past…**_

"Umm, Yuki-kun, you're getting a little off topic."

Yuki paused. "I guess you're right, Honda-san. I'll skip to the cat's summary of the diary."

Akira looked confused, "what diary?"

Shigure answered from the doorway. "It turns out that the book, which our meek Rit-chan stole from Akito's library, is a diary written by the cat before the cat before the cat before Kyo-kun. "

"Yuki, get on with the story or we'll be here all night." Hatori cut into Ritsu's embarrassed stammering.

"Right, now… the diary…Ok, now, somewhere along the line, the Cat ended up reading the diary, probably because no one else really felt like reading the entire thing at this point."

* * *

"He stayed up all night reading the darn thing," Kagura recalled.

"I don't know how," Hatsuharu put in. "It was one of the most boring books I've ever had to read, including the ones from school."

* * *

Kyo rolled his orange eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"Would you guys all shut up and let Yuki tell the story?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, rat."

_**And back to the past again…**_

"Alright everyone, settle down…" Shigure attempted to call order while yawning into his hand. "Kyo-kun finished reading Rit-chan's book and agreed to summarize it for the rest of us."

"At three in the bloody morning?" Hatsuharu demanded, edging on turning black from lack of sleep. Rin rested a calming hand on his shoulder. The other members of the Zodiac were scattered across the staff room in Ayame's shop –closed for the day.

Tohru sat beside Momiji, both wide awake and exited. Kyo, standing just behind Shigure, was still wearing the clothes he wore the day before, and looking very tired, but elated at his discovery, whatever it was.

Kyo took a breath, then tilted his head as he decided where to start.

"You know how all we're supposed to do is turn into animals when hugged by the opposite gender?"

Kureno nodded. "That is correct."

Yuki shook his head, "supposedly, that's what Akito told us."

"And the god before," Shigure pointed out.

"Well," Kyo said with a triumphant smirk. "_They lied."_

* * *

Ok, yes, updating took awhile, but I told you guys to nag me! Kunai Queen, you had way too much fun with your 'continue' message. Greatly appreciated though! And yes, it's a corny ending to a corny chapter, but I figured it was better than nothing. I do know where the story is going now, though, and I'm throwing in a major plot twist; Just a fair warning. And probably Character death. Woot! Yeah, you're probably sick of reading this, so, goodbye, loyal readers. Don't forget to review! 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N:

Goal: To finish this chapter today. (Failed)

Problems: None, at the moment.

Thanks to: Little Kisa, Kunai Queen The Strange, APiratesGaurdianAngel, Daughter.Light, snoopykid2991, and frobitten love who reviewed chapter nine. Thank you again to anyone who reviewed any other chapter.

Disclaimer: Guess what? I _**still **_don't own Fruits Basket. Is that amazing or what? (Sorry, I'm really sarcastic this morning.)

Thanks for continuing to read. This chapter will hopefully be really long because I've got lots of explaining to do, including why the heck Kyo was reading the book. Ok, I've babbled long enough.

* * *

Yuki paused from his story. The alarm clock beside Tohru's bed read 6:04 AM. The tiger beside Tohru was snoring lightly. On Tohru's lap, Momiji twitched, running about in his dreams. Yuki looked up at Akira, to see even he had fallen asleep, in a position that would probably hurt his back in the morning. The little grey rat called it a night as well, and curled up beside a warm mound of orange fur.

Tohru was up early, or as early as 11:00 am could be considering how late she was up. Shigure followed her downstairs, carrying a seahorse gently in his mouth. He dropped Hatori in the fishbowl prepared for him in the kitchen, then jumped off the counter.

"Good morning, Shigure-san!"

The dog smiled up at her. "Good morning, Tohru-kun. What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, if that's alright."

"It's fine," Hatori assured her from where he drifted in his fishbowl.

Slowly, the rest of the group drifted downstairs. Kyo ended up carrying both Yuki, whose was still a lousy morning person, err, rat, and Ayame, who climbed on just as he was leaving. When they had all finally gathered around the breakfast table and were mostly finished, Kyo agreed to take up the story where Yuki had left off last night.

"Ok you, what was the last thing you heard last night?" the cat asked, washing his face.

"Err…" Akira paused to swallow his pancake. "Start with you reading the diary."

Kyo gazed at the familiar-looking man thoughtfully. However, when he opened his mouth to begin, Hatsuharu interrupted him.

"Why don't you just start with why you agreed to read the stupid thing to start with?"

Kyo glared at him and started again.

* * *

_And flashback again…_

"What do you mean, they lied?" Hatsuharu demanded.

The orange haired boy threw the diary at him in frustration. "If everyone shuts up for more than two seconds, I'll tell you."

"Now now, Kyon-kyon, don't worry, everyone's listening," Ayame told him cheerfully.

Kyo sent a death glare in his direction, and then started yet again.

"I'm sure you've all heard the story of the rabbit's and sheep's exiting afternoon yesterday, when Momiji made his spectacular jump?"

There was a general murmur of assent, and Kyo continued.

"That is the trait of the Zodiac Rabbit." Momiji's eyes widened.

Yuki raised a hand. "Yes, rat?"

Yuki ignored the jibe, "by saying it's the rabbit's trait, you're implying we all have one."

Kyo reached into the bag at his feet and threw Yuki a cookie Tohru had baked the previous night, "give the rat a prize."

"So?" Hiro asked, "what's everyone else's?"

Kyo grimaced, "well, there's good news and bad news."

Tohru spoke immediately, "tell us the bad news first."

"Why?" Momiji asked. "Then we'll all be depressed."

"But then," Tohru explained. "The good news will cheer us up."

"Oh!"

Kyo sighed. "The bad news is that the dumb cat who wrote the diary didn't list all of them; just the Cats."

"So, what's the good news?" Hatori asked doubtfully.

Kyo smirked. "The cat's trait is to Remember."

A general silence fell, until Kisa finally asked, "umm, remember what?"

Kyo hissed in annoyance. "Basically whatever another, previous cat knew that gets triggered by something that happens in the current cat's life."

Whatever anyone was about to say was cut off by a loud knock on the door.

"That must by Mine!" Ayame exclaimed, standing. "I'll tell her she has the day off."

Yuki reached over to stop him. "Does Mine usually come to work at three o'clock in the morning?"

The knock came again, this time accompanied by an only too familiar voice.

"Open up, my precious Zodiac."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Welcome back to The Second Curse! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, nagged, prodded, reminded, or otherwise just told me to update. I would list them, but there are starting to be a lot of them. (Not that that's a bad thing… Keep it up guys and gals!)I don't own Fruits Baskets, nor do I own any of the many cool characters. Now then, last we seen the Fruits Basket characters, there was a certain bad guy banging on the door…

"Open up, before I lose my temper." Akito's voice came again from the other side of Ayame's shop door.

The group hesitated uncertainly, hovering around the table in the staff room. The third time Akito knocked, the door shook violently.

"Kureno, open the damn door!" The order was a vicious, wolf-like snarl. In the uncomfortable stillness that hung around the room like the plague, Kyo cursed in a sudden realization. At the same moment, Kureno stepped stiffly towards the door, sidestepping Kyo's sudden lunge for the rooster.

"Stop him!" Kyo almost bellowed at Yuki, who, still in a state of fear and shock, obeyed instantly. Startled, Hatsuharu, Kagura and Hiro all sprung at him as well. Unfortunately, the quick responses were too late.

Akito stepped into the room. He had changed cloths, but three jagged claw marks were still visible around the light material, running across his shoulder and down his chest.

Momiji shrank back, and Kisa mimicked him, hiding behind Hatsuharu, who had moved backwards quickly. The rage on Akito's face was something all were used to, but even so, Tohru paled at the menace he emitted.

Akito glared menacingly around him. "Did you really think you could get away with this?" When he got no answer, he continued with clearly steadily building rage. "Do you think you can get away with this unpunished?"

"Leave them alone!" Tohru hadn't realized she was moving, but she found herself nearly face to face with Akito. "It's me you want, isn't it? You can do whatever you want with me…"

Yuki had never seen Tohru with such a single-minded goal. It shocked him into a temporary state where he could think of nothing to do. Hiro disagreed.

The ram grabbed Tohru's small, shaking wrist. "What are you doing?" he growled angrily.

"This is my choice." Tohru responded with unusual decisiveness.

"You don't get a choice, remember?!? IT'S VOIDED!"

Akito narrowed his eyes. "I almost took her up on that offer. Now I see she has clearly poisoned all of your minds to thoroughly for that to be of anymore use. I must remind you of who you belong to and _why._"

He raised his good arm, reminding Tohru vaguely of the ghosts in those movies, preparing to curse someone. She flinched away, pushing Hiro behind herself subconsciously. As a result, she never heard exactly what it was that Akito said that caused said curse. While the room around her began flashing bright colors, she wondered dimly why it was that Akito had come by himself. After all, hadn't Hatori mentioned that the head of the family had an army? She didn't have any more time to wonder; she hit the ground unconscious.

* * *

"Why?" Akira asked, putting down his cup of tea.

"Because the curse was designed to revert us to our animal forms by making us too weak to retain human forms, and then prevent us from changing back, we all lost consciousness briefly." Kureno explained quietly. "Therefore, even though Honda-san is not a member of the Zodiac, she too became too weak to stay awake."

"Oh, I see. Continue please, Kyo-san."

The orange feline shrugged, curling his tail slightly to circle the dozing gray rodent beside him. "There isn't much else to say. Basically, long story short, Haru managed to resist the spell for a short period of time, during which he _somehow_ drove Akito off."

Akira glanced at the ox. Hatsuharu either hadn't heard, or was pretending he hadn't, engaged in a careful game of chess with Rin, and Ayame moving the pieces for them. "How?"

"No one's sure, the idiot won't tell." Kyo told him, annoyed. "Akito probably got bored and wandered off on his own. But he managed to stay human long enough for Tohru to wake up."

"Anyways…" Yuki sleepily murmured, reminding Kyo to get back on topic.

"Right, so, anyways, Shigure decided we should go to one of the many Sohma vacation spots, and that's how we ended up in a log cabin in the middle of _nowhere_."

"It's not so bad," Tohru tried to sooth the agitated cat. Kyo twitched his tail, but didn't say anything.

"TOHRU!!!!!!!!" the little yellow rabbit bounced into the room and onto Tohru's lap. "Tohru, Tohru, guess what?"

"What?" Momiji's enthusiasm was contagious.

"The storms stopped!"

* * *

Really sorry for the delay, but I was banned from the computer over Christmas. Merry Christmas and someone please tell me what Kureno calls Tohru. See Ya. 


	12. Chapter 12

"Honda-san, as a thank-you for your hospitality, allow me to make supper tonight before I leave."

"Ah! I couldn't!"

"But I want to. Would there be something wrong with that?"

Tohru chewed uncertainly on her bottom lip, before nodding slowly. "Well…"

Akira smiled confidently. "I'm very good on the barbeque, and the weathers nice. We can eat outside."

Finally, Tohru smiled. "It'll be fun!" She agreed. "I'll make dessert, then."

Outside, most of the Zodiac, (besides Shigure, who had developed into an overprotective guard dog,) had decided to put the good weather to use and stretch their legs, shooing away the cabin fever. Yuki, however, was somewhat lost.

He hadn't realized how far he'd travelled, following random paths in the damp grass. It was only when the sudden movement of a bird startled him that he lost his footing and slipped down a not-so-steep dip in the ground.

The small rat pulled himself o his feet. _Uh oh… where am I?_ With some difficulties, Yuki managed to climb back up the embankment. It really was a whole lot steeper when you're only a couple inches high.

_I don't recognize any of this…great. Teach me to zone out while I'm taking a walk.__ I feel like Haru… _He groaned in disgust.

Just then, a sharp, vaguely familiar scent hit his nose. Slowly, not sure what he would see, Yuki turned.

Behind him had to be the biggest cat he had ever seen.

So it probably wasn't really that big – we've already established that Yuki is only a few inches tall. But it did tell Yuki what was familiar about the smell – it smelled a little like Kyo.

He began backing away slowly, but the cat followed. "Where ya goin', mousey? Smokey wanna play. Smokey hungry!"

_Yuki don't __wanna__ help Smokey!_ Yuki thought, glancing around desperately for a way out.

The sun was warm on Kyo's thick orange fur. He paced around on the roof of the cabin. He approached Kureno, the supervisor.

"Haru, Rin, Kisa, and Hiro are all on the far side, like you guessed. Can I go now?"

Kureno shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Almost. Have you seen Yuki?"

Kyo hissed in annoyance. "Of course not! He's three inches tall, and I'm on the damn roof!"

The rooster didn't even blink. "Then go find him. Then report back to me and you're free to go."

The cat spun on his heel and leapt from the roof to the nearby tree, then slithered to the ground. He instantly began trying to pick up Yuki's scent.

He found it quickly, and began to follow its long, winding trail through the long grass.

_Ah, crap, where'd it go?_ Kyo began walking in misshapen circles in his attempt to find it again. Instead, a strange sound found his ears.

"C'mon, mousey, play with Smokey."

Kyo's head swivelled, trying to find the source as panic began to build inside him. The fear-scent that hit his nostrils next was clearly Yuki. _Damn rat, why are you always in danger?_

Letting his paws, guide him, Kyo felt the ground begin to slope sharply downwards.

Something hard collided with Yuki's back. A swift glance behind him told him it was a very big rock. There was no way he could get around it fast enough to escape the cat looming over him. It raised a huge grey paw and swatted at him, knocking him to the ground.

Before either could move a second time, however, an orange blur streaked past, knocking the bigger grey cat over. "Buzz off, fur ball," a familiar voice snarled. "The rat's mine."

Yuki could honestly say he'd never been so happy to see Kyo in his life.

"But Smokey found him first," responded the fluffy grey opponent.

Kyo dug his claws into the ground. "Do I look like I care? I'll…" he cast his mind around frantically, "I'll fight for him."

Smokey stared back at him for a second. "But wont the mousey escape both of us while we're fighting?" he asked, confused.

Yuki was already trying to sneak around the rock without the cat bent on eating him noticing.

"Of course not," Kyo lied smoothly. "He'll be right there." To himself he thought _yeah right. How stupid is this cat?_

Smokey didn't waste another second. He bowled Kyo over, attempting to use his superior weight to pin Kyo down. Kyo, however, had no intention of letting him. He twisted out from under Smokey and leapt onto his back, claws fully extended. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Yuki didn't want to travel too far; he was already lost, and he didn't want to run into another unexpected enemy. Plus, the farther he went, the harder it would be for Kyo to find him again. So he just outran the sounds of cats fighting.

And yet he still managed to get even more lost.

A familiar noise echoed through the grass nearby; the sounds of crunching leaves and, well, slithering in general.

"Err, Nii-san?" He called, hopefully. He turned his head slightly to watch a long garter snake rear up to examine him.

"Hello, mouze," it hissed dangerously.

"KYO!"

Kyo sprung away from Smokey's flailing claws as Yuki's terrified call reached his ears. "WHAT!" he screeched back, ducking under a swipe aimed at his face. A sharp pain pierced his ear as a single claw caught hold. Smokey pulled back, tearing a deep V in Kyo's ear.

Then Smokey realized that Yuki was no longer there. "Where'd he go? You lied to Smokey!" He whirled to attack Kyo again, but he was already gone.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Kyo hissed angrily. He spotted the snake instantly and raked his claws down the length of its body, not even breaking stride.

It too hissed, and tried to swerve and attack the bigger threat, but Kyo's feet were sped by pure anger, and he dodged neatly. When his claws cut a long, bleeding gash along the nose, the snake finally turned and left.

Yuki was shaking nearby. Kyo's piercing eyes found him quickly, and he didn't say a word. He lay down beside Yuki, and Yuki climbed on quickly.

"Smokey found you! You won't escape this time!"

"Screw you," Kyo hissed, still angry. His claws connected solidly with Smokey's throat and eyes. Screeching in agony, Smokey turned and fled.

Supper was good, with Kagura and Tohru fussing over a still-bleeding Kyo and a very much shaken Yuki. The sun was setting when Akira announced that he was leaving.

"You can't leave! The sun's almost gone!"

"Be that as it may, Honda-san, I do have to get going. May the fates will we meet again."

"Good riddance," Kyo hissed, the first words he'd said in nearly two hours.

Shigure, however, watched Akira walk into the woods. "I don't think we've seen the last of him," he predicted direly.

Hatori drifted towards the coiled up Ayame. "What's done is done. Let's decide what our next move should be."

"Yes," Kureno agreed, hopping up to the top of the couch. "Kyo, what did the diary say about overthrowing God?"

* * *

I don't own Fruits Basket, and thank you to everyone who reviewed. I just switched the rating to T, because of future chapters, possibly including this one. Finally, a vote: If I were to kill off a character, who should it be? Give reasons, and suggestions, and don't forget to review! 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I don't own Fruits Basket. Nor do I own the characters or this computer – I'm at school! Thanks to mousecat, snoopykid2991, xxfirebubblesxx, and Kyki- The Late Night Writer for reviewing! A short warning for spoilers in this chapter, although it might come up again later. I finally posted this cuz'… it made a good chapter? (And, congratulations to APiratesGuardianAngel because I know they, and probably others, knew about some of this beforehand…

_Somewhere in a large city, a fair distance from the Zodiac and Tohru…_

"Akito-sama, someone is here to see you."

"I don't suppose they have news of my Zodiac, do they?"

"I…I don't know, Akito-sama."

An angry sigh, "fine, send them in."

The troubled God stared dejectedly out his window at the pink petals floating in the breeze. He looked up when the sounds of his servant told him his visitor had arrived. A fierce snarl escaped his lips when his gaze landed on the man kneeling before him.

"What are you doing here? I exiled you!"

The dark eyes that turned up to him betrayed the man's nerves. "Forgive me, dear sister. I have news that you may find interesting."

Akito sneered at her brother. "Really? What could you possibly know?"

He lifted his face. The light from the window streamed along his cheek, revealing a long, wicked scar. "I can tell you where to find the Zodiac."

"Can you?" behind her cold voice, he could hear his sister's excitement. "Will you tell me?"

"For a price."

"…what would that be?"

A sad smile, "I want to come home."

"Why should I let you?"

"They are looking for a way to break the curse, and they know about their new 'abilities' that you failed to tell them about."

Akito smirked, "you know a lot."

"I know more. Do we have a deal?"

"We'll discuss that later – tell me where to find them, Akira."

"You can't overthrow a God," Kyo informed them. "You can only replace it."

Disappointment lay thick on the room. Hiro raised his head from where it lay on his hooves. "Can it be one of us?"

Kyo shook his head. "No, it must be an outsider."

Hatsuharu shifted his own hooves uncertainly. "Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

Silence, then, "Onee-chan could be a Goddess," Kisa barely whispered.

Tohru flushed. "No, I…I couldn't possibly…" She started to stammer.

"Voided," Hiro interrupted distractedly.

"That…" Yuki blinked, puzzled.

Kyo's ears twitched and Shigure lifted his drowsy head. More silence followed as the group thought Kisa's suggestion over.

Shigure finally spoke. "I think we're onto something."

"The final decision is Honda-san's," Hatori said softly, looking at Hiro, "even if her opinion is voided."

Tohru was suddenly faced with thirteen pairs of eyes watching her – some were anxious, like Ritsu, trying not to force her into anything, some, like Rin were almost accusing. But Kisa and Momiji looked particularly hopeful. There was no way she could let them down if there was something she could do.

She smiled, her mind made up. "Yes," she whispered. "I'll do it. What do I have to do, Kyo-kun?"

Kyo wasn't as sure. "Are you sure? It'll be hard…and dangerous…" His eyes betrayed more concerns.

Tohru almost didn't meet his reddish gaze. She answered quickly, before she could change her mind. "Yes! I'll do my best!"

The cat swallowed hard, wrapping his tail unconsciously around Yuki. "Alright. There are two parts to this. The first… is… well, strange. You know how witches are supposed to have a cat or something…"

Yuki interrupted Kyo's pointless babbling. "It's a Familiar," he explained. "They're supposed to help witches with their magic."

"Yeah," Kyo agreed in relief. Tohru nodded, so he continued. "Well, the Zodiac Gods have something kinda like that. Except, their Zodiac members; Two, to be exact. Akito's…I think they're Shigure and Kureno. Which means you can't have them for yours…some kind of loyalty thing. 'k?"

Tohru blinked in confusion.

Kyo sighed and tried again. "Ok, remember how all the Zodiac have a 'magical ability' type idea?" This received a quick nod. "Ok, now, if Akito chose Shigure and Kureno for his 'Familiars' like I think he did, then he has basically complete control over them and their ability, right? And unless I'm very much mistaken, Shigure has the ability to tell the future – which is passed down from dog-to-dog. So whenever Shigure gets a vision or whatever, he's supposed to report immediately to Akito."

Shigure blinked, several pieces falling into place.

Now that Kyo was talking, everything else was starting to make sense. "Kureno… Akito keeps him so close because he has the ability to make other Zodiac members do whatever he wants, except that he's directly under Akito's control, so it's more like Akito can control the Zodiac. Hatori can erase people's memories, which is why none of us knew this before; because using Kureno, Akito made Hatori erase even his own memories."

Hiro spoke up then. "So when the rabbit was jumping like that, that's the Rabbit's trait?"

"Probably"

"So, Tohru is supposed to pick her own two if she wants to try and take over?" Rin asked, doubtfully.

"Plus, she needs the support of at least two others." Kyo added, almost as an afterthought.

Hiro glanced at her. "Maybe we should pick for her…"

Several others looked at a very overwhelmed – looking Tohru Honda.

Shigure looked around the Zodiac. "I think…"

"Yuki and Kyo."

Both animals blinked stupidly for a moment. Shigure continued. "Of everyone, you two have known her the longest – and you're already stupidly overprotective of her. Besides, Kyo-kun, you might need to go with her – no one else knows what she has to do next."

Hatori sighed almost inaudibly. "You three go get some sleep. The two others, do they have to go too, Kyo?" The cat nodded. "Then we'll pick them while you rest."

It couldn't be Shigure, Kureno, or Hatori, that much was clear. So the other two travelers should be…?


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to my reviewers: yuru-neko, x-BlueEyedBeauty-x, Kyki- The Late Night Writer, Little Kisa, and APiratesGuardianAngel, others who reviewed on other chapters but I didn't realize.

Thanks also to: ME!

A/N: 'k, so, I'm back. Short chapter for the purpose of an interlude, and for a request: We already have two votes for Kisa, one for Haru, and one for Momiji. Who else should go? (Ayame can't go for reasons of later chapters, Sorry!)(Well actually, he probably could, but things would be harder. I'm lazy. And it might not work anyways… ) Anywho, send your opinions please! (That means, if you can think of a good reason for Ayame to go, vote again!) And if anyone can think of obscure magical powers, please let me know of those too.

(Thanks to whomever it was who suggested that)(APiratesGuardianAngel)(Sorry)

Akira watched the Sohma army gather. It was a fearsome force, rarely used since the wars ended. Few even knew about it anymore. He himself had served as one of his sister's general's for a time before he began to pry into the Zodiac secret and she exiled him. 

_**She was always touchy. Touchy, secretive, and…different.**_

When he thought back on their childhood, all the clues were there. When their father had agreed so readily to make Akito the head of the family instead of him – he had never really cared for positions of power. How some members of the family treated her with more reverence than was really necessary. How some almost _feared_ her.

_**In fact**_, he mused, _Father __**must have been a Zodiac member, too. Akito always could wrap him around her finger. And what was it Yuki-san mentioned? That the animals of that Zodiac member were… attracted to them? Sheep always did like Father, I guess, before he died. That was… a little before Hiro-san was born, I guess.**_

But she wasn't always cruel. He would know – he grew up with her. As a kid, other, bigger kids teased him. But his older sister was always comforting when he came home. Eventually, he had worked up the courage, with her help, to stand up to them. Oh, he had gotten a fist in the face for his trouble, sure. But Akito was waiting at home with a Kleenex to clean up the blood.

And he noticed when she changed, too. When she misused her new-found power as Head of Family to get what she wanted. She wouldn't have before. _**Even if she was power-hungry.**_

It must have been when she found out that she was a Goddess. _**Sort of.**_

Concerned for his sister, Akira decided to look into it. He snooped through people's rooms, leaving no trace he was there. He managed to figure out who most of the more devoted people were – Kureno, Shigure, Ayame, Hatori… he even guessed at Ritsu. But not all of them; Hiro and Kisa, for instance, weren't even born at the time. 



It was just after Yuki's mother had sold him to Akito that Akira put his foot down. _**He was a young boy – I didn't realize my sister could be so cruel…**_

But Akito insisted it was none of his business. _**Keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong, Akira, or you might lose it.**_

But, somehow, he managed to remain loyal as his twin continued her steady, willing decent into darkness.

Until he found the diary. 

It wasn't really supposed to be in Ritsu's room. Honestly. Why on earth would it be there? Ritsu had gotten it from Akito's private library – like they told him. But he already knew that. Because it was his fault it was hidden away like that.

He knew Akito's room like the back of his hand. After all, he grew up with her. The even shared a room for a brief period of time. (Her half of the room was the clean half.) So when he finally said 'what the heck' and searched her room, it should have gone uneventfully. Unfortunately, it clearly did not. 

When he stumbled across a black leather book wearing a hideous purple book cover with orange paw prints, blue rabbit ears and green bird tracks, he knew he found something special. Either that or his sister had lost all her sense of fashion. It was old and yellowing – a couple pages were missing. Without really thinking about it, he tore the first page out. It was a perfectly inked picture of the Zodiac – even the cat depicted with accuracy. They were scattered about, facing different directions, each different sizes with each animal overlapping with another. The background was the shining-thing, symbolizing God. And standing behind it all was a monster like nothing he'd ever seen – a twisted, dangerous looking demon protecting a teenage girl. 

He pocketed it. 

The book itself wasn't overly interesting – a diary written by a Sohma many years before. He called himself a 'cursed one', and a cat. Even so, Akito walked in while he sat on her bed reading the distinctive book. Needless to say, she took it badly. She didn't stop at hitting him – he still had a scar, to this day, - but threw him, literally, out of _**'her house'**_disowned him, and outright refused to speak with him again. 

But he could quote the writing on the back of the picture he kept. He didn't know what it meant, but he recognized Tohru immediately. Because she was the girl that the Demon was protecting.

_The First God will greet them at the door_

_When the Other comes for the first time,_

_The Dog foreseen the Goddess's fall_

_And bells of freedom will chime_

_Yumiko Sohma, 1635 _


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I don't own Fruits Basket!

They set out at dawn, Kyo in the lead. His tail flicked with nerves as he called upon ancient memories to lead the way – far north, he guessed. Yuki rode on his back, where he was slowly growing accustomed to sitting. Tohru followed, carrying Kisa, and Hatsuharu took up the rear. (A/N: Because, as Lightkit pointed out, her opinion needs to be voided, Haru agreed to do it for Hiro.)

Several days later, they found a cave, with many adjoining tunnels. Kyo stepped confidently into the farthest one, and Kisa leapt from Tohru's arms to free her hands. Hatsuharu, still at the back, made a steady clicking noise that the other's found reassuring, even as it faltered often in the dark. Only Kyo and Kisa, with the best night vision, were spared from the suffocating darkness, and Yuki, still riding the orange feline, pressed himself closer to his friend. He felt Kyo's tail flick his ear comfortingly, and he squeezed his eyes closed, putting his trust entirely in his enemy.

When Tohru finally spotted a 'light at the end of the tunnel', her hands and knees were scrapped and bleeding from the rough cave floor. Suddenly, as they entered the flame-light cave, there was a sharp popping noise, and smoke erupted from the four Zodiac members. Instinctively, Tohru grabbed her bag and started throwing clothes at them before closing her eyes and waiting for the all-clear.

Back at the cabin, Shigure was pacing restlessly. Night had fallen for the sixth time since their only hope had set out, and he had a bad feeling pricking at his fur.

"Sit down, Shigure," Hatori told him tiredly.

"You're making me dizzy!" Momiji agreed. He himself was darting around the room, pent up energy searching for an outlet. Because Tohru had left, they couldn't go outside anymore, because no one but Ritsu could open the door. Unfortunately, Ritsu had fallen ill with the flu – yes, monkeys can get the flu, or, at least this one can – and was incapable of helping out.

"I'm sorry!" he told them frequently, but Hiro kept telling him to shut up and get better. Cabin fever was building – and Chinese Checkers was no longer enough to keep them occupied for hours at a time.

"Is something bothering you, Gure-nee?" Rin asked calmly.

Shigure kept his worries to himself. He forced himself to 'smile' lightly, "just restless."

Hatori glanced at him, but said nothing.

"Agg!" Hiro snarled, tripping Momiji as he darted past. "I'M SO BORED!"

"So you must be Tohru."



Against her will, Tohru's eyes snapped open. Her friends all instinctively moved closer to her, now fully clothed. Before her, an old, decrepit man stood. He was using a cane, neatly carved into a bird with its wings spread. Tohru barely had time to register that it wasn't the rooster before he began to approach her.

Hatsuharu and Yuki moved in unison, intercepting him before he came to close. "Who are you?" Yuki demanded calmly.

The man looked first at Yuki, then Hatsuharu, then behind them, at Tohru again. "Tohru Honda, you came to learn to become the god of the Zodiac, correct?"

Swallowing, she took a nervous step forward. "Yes… how do you know my name?"

Pushing Hatsuharu and Yuki aside with his cane, he continued to walk towards her. This time, Kyo stepped in front.

The man's eyes widened – one green, one blue – and he smiled wickedly, showing sharp, crooked teeth. "Kyo Sohma… nice to meet you, kitty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyo snarled. The man tapped him on the nose with his bird's beak. The cat gave a slight hiss and drew back slightly. A single drop of blood formed on his nose.

The man spoke in an evil whisper, "Did you know that no one's ever brought the cat here before?"

"That's horrible!" Tohru said, shocked.

The man laughed. It was a scratchy, cruel sound. "Very well, Tohru Honda. I will teach you what you need to know to overthrow Akito. I must say, however, it is very difficult. No one besides a Sohma has passed it before."

"Ok," Tohru agreed, undaunted. "I promised I would do everything in my power to help them. What do I do?"

"Let's start with your friends." The man decided. "Rat, you're going first. Everyone else, hide. Rat, count to thirty."

"What?" Kyo growled in disbelief.

The man rolled his eyes. "It's called 'hide and seek', kitty. You hide, and the rat tries to find you. I knew you were stupid but…"

Kyo opened his mouth, but Hatsuharu spoke first. "Don't call him that, Old Man." His voice was angry.

Unaffected, the man looked at Hatsuharu with disgust. "Technically you have been playing for twenty seconds already, the rat is cheating because his eyes are open, and the rest of you are waiting to be caught. Go where ever you like in these caves; they all wind up back here eventually."


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

(A/N: Ok, first off, I'm trying a new strategy to make sure the Authors Note doesn't get mixed in with the rest – Please tell me how this goes! Next, I don't own Fruits Basket, etc. Finally, a huge round of applause for everyone who reviewed! Side note to Myst: No offense meant or anything, but you're reviews are the weirdest ones I've ever got. Useful, but weird. I've never actually had _anyone_ tell me I had spelling issues before. Comment about my grammar and sentence fragments: That's actually how _I _talk, so it all makes sense to me, no offense.

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed – here is the next chapter!)

Yuki stared at the man blankly. Unsure of what else to do, Hatsuharu, Kyo, Kisa and Tohru split up and moved into the winding tunnels. Before he had reached thirty seconds, however, the man looked up at him (he almost came up to Yuki's shoulder.)

"You understand this, don't you?" he rasped, his voice neutral. Yuki, bewildered, shook his head slightly. The old man shook his head in disgust. "Well, you're supposed to be smart – you'll figure it out."

"What…?" Yuki started, but a sharp rap on the back of his head from the man's cane stopped him.

"That's thirty. Find them."

Rubbing the back of his head and sending suspicious glances over his shoulder, Yuki headed towards the nearest cave. Then he stopped. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to go into that particular tunnel. In fact, he was really starting to like the one a little to the left. He hesitated only a moment before changing his path.

It was dark and damp. A trickle of water ran down the stone wall on his left, while a thick layer of moss-like plant matter thrived on the moisture on the opposite wall. All in all, he felt very claustrophobic. It was odd – he had always like small spaces.

He came to a fork. Instinctively, he took the right hand one. By now, there was almost no light to see by, and he was running a hand along the wall to keep his balance.

"If I'd taken the other fork, it would have been lighter," the rat predicted out loud, if only to break the silence.

To his right, something shifted. He glanced pointlessly towards it and ventured a guess into the darkness. "Kisa?"

* * *

It was dark. His eyes could make out the sharp edges of rock and shadow, but little else. Someone was moving up ahead, with more confidence. He picked up his pace a little to catch up, but the figure looked around and hurriedly vanished into a crevice in the wall. Before he could find him however, another figure brushed by. It looked around briefly, and, walking with its hand touching the wall, called into the crack where the first was hiding. But the sound was distorted – he couldn't understand what was being said. The first figure squeezed back out of his hiding place and, taking the other by the wrist, led him out the other end of the cave, where a slight sense of light and security could be felt.

He wanted to follow. But something held him back. There was something behind him. He turned quickly, and nearly lost his balance on the uneven stone. Half hidden in shadows, an old man stared back at him. The phoenix on his cane had a small glowing ball in its open beak, casting eerie, unnatural shadows before it.

"What are you doing here?" The old man half hissed, half rasped. "You shouldn't be able to get in here, mutt."

Shigure subconsciously recoiled slightly. This man had an air that wasn't quite human.

It was… demonic. Evil.

"Tch," the man growled, almost inhumanly. "Akito failed, did she? Didn't think she could tame the dog. Even so," He raised the staff to light up Shigure's face; the dog narrowed his eyes against the light. "Get Out."

Suddenly, the light seemed to grow, swallowing the tunnel entirely. There was a sharp pain in his head, and there was nothing.

* * *

After Kyo led Yuki back to the main room, the rat turned to the old man in frustration.

"Ok, fine, I get it. The Rat's trait is to find everyone else. Can you explain why I can't find Haru now?" He didn't mean to be snappy, but they had been on their feet for several hours and he was getting touchy.

The old man, who had been sitting on the ground in a very meditative position, opened his green eye to look at him. "I'm busy. Look for yourselves."

"How?" Kyo demanded. "The Ox's trait is invisibility, and they have a genetic mutation that makes them untraceable by the Rat."

The man closed his eye again. "The old fashioned way: look."

Kyo snorted in disbelief and stormed into the nearest tunnel. The others followed, not wanting to be left alone with the creepy old man.

"I wonder if he has a name." Tohru wondered out loud, getting sick of referring to him as 'the old man' or 'the man'.

"Kyo," Yuki asked, "What did you mean by genetic mutation?"

Still gritting his teeth as he led, Kyo paused a moment before answering. His voice louder than Yuki's, echoed in the cavern.

"The Sohma family has a really long history of incest. Like any family, enough in-breeding causes mutations and disabilities. In a member of the Zodiac, however, it will manifest as almost a second trait, which may or may not be passed to the next one." He hesitated before he added, "Some people believe that the Cat's second form is actually a genetic mutation."

The two were quiet, and then they heard Tohru and Kisa talking a little further back.

"Maybe we could call him… Raiga-san."

"Sumaru-san?"

"Menma-san?"

Kyo glanced over his shoulder, and in the dim light, Yuki caught an amused glint in his orange eyes, despite the dry topic.

* * *

"Gure-san?" Ayame raised his serpentine head from the warmth of his furry friend. "Are you alright?"

Shigure took a moment to let his breathing slow and the pain fade a little from his throbbing head before he nodded slightly. "Yeah… Yes, I'm fine," he managed a wolf like smile. "Just a dream. But…" he stared at the wall for a moment. "I don't envy Tohru and the others right now."


	17. Chapter 17

(A/N: Thanks for reviewing! I got a question about why Haru and Kisa are going on this little adventure with them, and I'll answer truthfully: Haru, because I wanted him to go, and Kisa because when I asked who everyone wanted to go, she easily got the most votes. So, there you have it: Kisa might very well be the most popular character in Fruits Basket! As for where you hide an army, that is for Akito to know and us to pretend we do! And Kyo only 'guessed' that Shigure could see the future… Fore-sight is a branch of Psychic powers! (Ok, that isn't really fore-sight, but…) Anything else…? Umm… If there was, they weren't important enough to remember and can be addressed at a later time. I don't own Fruits Basket!)

A good night's sleep had done wonders for the group's outlook. Now, the five of them sat around a single fire that lit the main cavern, eating something that they weren't sure they wanted to know what it was, and waiting to see what was to be done today.

"So, we're done the Rat. Tiger, you're next."

Kisa looked shocked for a moment, then stood uncomfortably from where she had been sitting beside Tohru.

"Mmm… Kitty. You're getting off easy because there isn't anything I can do for you. She can practise on you."

Kyo, looking just as startled to be addressed by the old man as Kisa had, leapt to his feet from where he was sitting beside Yuki. The man didn't spare the others a glance. Hatsuharu, who was on Yuki's other side, took this time to flop onto his back and try to get comfortable.

"Right, so, stare at him."

Kisa obeyed. Kyo stared at the old man instead, trying to decide if he was sane. Several long moments passed before Hatsuharu pointed out unnecessarily "nothing's happening". Kyo rolled his shoulders and glowered down at Kisa. She shrunk back a little.

"Then she's doing it wrong." The man growled, clearly not interested.

"Maybe it would help if she knew what she was trying to do." Yuki suggested, raising a hand to keep Hatsuharu silent.

Another silence followed. Finally, the man looked up.

"Kitty, look at me."

Kyo didn't move. His eyes remained locked with Kisa's.

"I gave you an order." The man didn't sound annoyed, like Yuki had expected. Instead, he sounded triumphant.

"I've already tried," Kyo shot back, even his mouth barely moving. "Talking is hard enough."

"Good." The ancient pile of bones said, his skeletal appearance proving how much the fire had died in the small amount of time. To Kisa he added "keep practicing; you should be able to inflict pain too." Then he looked at Hatsuharu.

"What are you doing lying around? Turn invisible."

Hatsuharu blinked at him before promptly becoming transparent.

"That's not invisible." Kyo pointed out, out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's harder than you'd think." Hatsuharu responded dryly.

"Rat, stick around. If the Ox ever gets it right, he should be able to take others with him. You," the man jabbed a boney finger at Tohru, "come with me."

"Ah, right!" Tohru scrambled to her feet and followed him, to the group's annoyance, into an adjoining tunnel.

(A/N: Short chapter, but I'm going to BC tomorrow and I wanted to update before I left. Cross your fingers and hope I don't get sunburn! Thanks again for everyone's loyal support and reviews!)


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